Stock Market Today: Stocks Close Mixed Ahead of January CPI Report
The Dow notched a new record high Monday, while the S&P 500 pulled back from its all-time peak.
Stocks looked like they were headed for a win Monday before a round of late-afternoon selling sent two of the three main benchmarks into the red by the close. Caution appears to be setting in ahead of Tuesday morning's key inflation update, particularly after recent data has signaled a resilient U.S. economy and lowered expectations for an interest rate cut at the next Fed meeting.
The Fed has indicated recently that it needs to see more evidence that the disinflation trend is intact before it starts cutting interest rates. Indeed, "the possibility of a March rate cut seems unlikely but coming into the summer months and back half of the year, we believe the disinflationary trend and other economic data will support such a decision," says Kevin Simpson, founder and chief investment officer at Capital Wealth Planning.
According to CME Group's FedWatch Tool, futures traders are currently pricing in a 16% chance for a quarter-point rate cut in March vs a 52% probability of one in May.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
As for the indexes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.3% at 38,797) notched a new record close Monday. The S&P 500 (-0.09% at 5,021), meanwhile, pulled back from its record close hit on Friday, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3% to 15,942.
With stocks trading at or near record highs, Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, says investors may want to sit tight. "Right now, there's universal optimism and no risk embedded in the market, and it feels like we're a rubber band being stretched thin," Hackett says. "As soon as that rubber band gets a little nick in it, it could snap, leading to extreme volatility."
Nvidia briefly overtakes Amazon's market value
In single-stock news, Nvidia (NVDA) made headlines after the chipmaker's market value briefly surpassed that of fellow Magnificent 7 stock Amazon.com (AMZN). NVDA stock has been rallying hard over the past 18 months or so on optimism around its generative AI (artificial intelligence) chips, and it joined the trillion-dollar market cap club in June.
Today, Nvidia closed up 0.2% lower, bringing its market cap to $1.785 trillion. AMZN shed 1.4%, ending the day with a market value of $1.788 trillion.
Diamondback Energy will buy Endeavor Energy Resources
Elsewhere, Diamondback Energy (FANG) spiked 9.4% after the oil and gas exploration company said it will buy privately held Endeavor Energy Resources in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $26 billion. The news continues a consolidation trend in the oil patch, with blue chip stocks Chevron (CVX, +0.7%) and Exxon Mobil (XOM, +1.4%) announcing their own billion-dollar buyouts last fall.
"The merger, if completed, would make FANG the third largest producer in the Permian Basin, raising the company's production capacity by 76%, growing its net acreage by around 70%, while raising its gross core locations by 61%, which should enable FANG to see healthy cash flow generation, in our view," says CFRA Research analyst Jonnathan Handshoe, who reiterated a Buy rating on the oil stock.
Diamondback also said it is raising its annual dividend by 7% to $3.60 per share.
Related content
To continue reading this article
please register for free
This is different from signing in to your print subscription
Why am I seeing this? Find out more here
With over a decade of experience writing about the stock market, Karee Venema is the senior investing editor at Kiplinger.com. She joined the publication in April 2021 after 10 years of working as an investing writer and columnist at Schaeffer's Investment Research. In her previous role, Karee focused primarily on options trading, as well as technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis.
-
If You’re Preparing to Move, Should You Buy or Rent?
Both prospects are expensive these days, but there are several questions you can ask yourself to help you decide what’s right for you.
By Justin Stivers, Esq. Published
-
Earn Delta SkyMiles Worth Up to $1,800 with an AMEX Business Card
Delta SkyMiles and American Express offer 150,000 on business credit card for new cardholders.
By Ellen Kennedy Published
-
Stock Market Today: Markets Soar Amid Strong Earnings for Big Tech
Equities ended the week on an up note thanks to some of the market's biggest names.
By Dan Burrows Published
-
Stock Market Today: Markets Tumble Amid Slower Economic Growth and Rising Prices
Disappointing readings on GDP and inflation helped tank equities.
By Dan Burrows Published
-
DraftKings Is a Top Analyst Pick Ahead of NFL Draft. Here's Why
DraftKings has posted a strong performance in 2024 but analysts think there is more upside for the stock. Here’s what you need to know.
By Joey Solitro Published
-
Meta Stock Slides as AI Spending Ramps Up: What To Know
Meta stock plunged after the Facebook parent increased spending on artificial intelligence and the metaverse.
By Joey Solitro Last updated
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Run Out of Steam Ahead of Meta Earnings
The Dow Jones Industrial Average snapped a four-day winning streak after Boeing's first-quarter results.
By Karee Venema Published
-
TikTok Ban Passes Ahead of Meta Earnings: What To Know
Lawmakers voted in favor of banning social media platform TikTok just ahead of rival Meta Platforms' earnings report.
By Joey Solitro Published
-
Why Tesla Stock Is Soaring After a Q1 Earnings Miss
Tesla came up short of analysts' expectations for its first quarter, yet its stock is roaring higher today. Here's why.
By Joey Solitro Published
-
Stock Market Today: Nasdaq Soars Ahead of Tesla Earnings
The EV stock rose nearly 2% ahead of its highly anticipated Q1 earnings report, due after tonight's close.
By Karee Venema Published